Not anywhere near every meal is postworthy, nor is it noteworthy. However, if it was memorable and the photographs came out, that just squeaks by my meat-radar. Sure, I was going to try to use, MeatDar. But that sounded really dumb.
All the meat this week was purchased from the Grocer of the Year, Omar of Joya de Ceren, Richmond California. First up we have these fine pork chops. Yeah, they’re cut pretty thin, it’s the Latin way. So, for 1 adult and 2 boys I bought 5. MmMmmm, 5.
Tucked away in the corner is a load of El Salvadorean rice, cooked in butter and chicken broth. Oh yeah, and some steamed broc. The rice is so plump, so tender and full of flavor even without the butter and broth, it’s the best white rice I’ve ever had. While thin, the pork chops turned out really well. There was enough fat and I didn’t cook them very long. Preseasoned with salt is all, SEAR.
#2 this week was a rather large, yet happy tritip beef roast. We arrived home later than usual and didn’t have much time to get this one rolling. In fact, we ate about 30 minutes later than usual. That’s okay, I jacked the oven to 400 and preheated the cast iron skillet with a trivet underneath.
The fat was still on the roast, thank you Omar! I cross-hatched it with a sharp knife. Poured in extra virgin, salt, pepper, fresh rosemary & lemon zest.
I think it only took about 45 minutes or so to cook to a bare medium rareish. I should have checked it at 35 or 40 minutes. Even so, there was enough pink for me to enjoy. Man, beef can go from perfection to boot in no time flat.
The tritip was just as expected, tender, toothy, rich with beefy flavors and the citrus really drove home the action. The only thing that would have made it better would have been maybe 3 bacon rosettes perched up top. And gravy. Gravy or ‘sauce’ (the low calorie cousin, wink-wink) would have dotted the i’s.
Cheers,
Biggles
Category Archives: Deep Thoughts
Forbidden Fruit
Alright, I wanna see some hands. How many of you reading blogs the last week have run across some blogger who has posted a glorious image of something they’ve culled from their budding garden? And prepared something luscious with it? And eaten it? And told you all about how wonderful it was?
Thought so, and my hand went up as well.
By my own hands, I don’t have a garden this year. I mowed it flat with a 6.75 horsepower lawn mower. And I feel GREAT about it! No tending to weeds, fussy watering schedules, no meddling kids with soccer balls, and oh don’t get me started on the squirrels. Sunflower seeds this year? No, they ate them all.
I spend my time at the grill or lounging about doing absolutely nothing I don’t have to. Heck, I’ve even got time now to take up smoking cigarettes if I wanted to. Am now reminded of a quote from one of my favorite movies, Tremors. Picture Valentine & Earl out in their backyard (trash & junk everywhere), pulling cold beers out of the wayward toilet, about to rest on an old truck seat. And this is where Val says, “You see, we plan ahead, that way we don’t do anything right now.” Yeah, just like that. I’ve always loved that quote.
So, it’s a darned good thing I can run back to the far fence and grab a load of the neighbors plums! Oh man, even without the rain, they’re juicy, sweet and perfect in every way. I’d make something out of them, but got no fricken ideas. I just eat them, like they are, and they’re good.
Biggles
Brazilian Marinade Chicken, grilled over maple & cherry log
Oscar Mayer Fully Cooked Bacon – wtf?
This last weekend I made it in to our local, pretty large, grocery mart. I required a few things that Omar, 2008’s shopkeeper of the year award worthy, didn’t stock. I perused the isles of said largish mart, and there were products in attendance that were noticeably not there previously. What struck me first was the Bariani Extra Virgin, my favorite green extra virgin. Then, opposite that, on the top shelf I spied a jar of Marmite? Red Mill flour! 3 times the organic produce (Feel Good crap, but even so), the list goes on. I don’t care that much, and grab my 3 paper sacks (for $110.00) and skeedaddle.
I was left with this haunting thought, “That store doesn’t suck as much as it did a few months ago.” I won’t be frequenting any more than I did last week, but damn an shit. Ya know? Even way out in El Sobrante, where the demographics meander. Maybe, ever so slowly, things could very well be looking up.
Then Ear Ache wanders in to work with this in tow. A box of Oscar Mayer Fully Cooked Bacon, wtf? I suppose it’s kind of a relief, knowing that The Man is still a fucking idiot and has about as much cohesive thought as a near death, bed ridden, 5 legged badger on morphine. But I have my hopes ya know. Or maybe this is their attempt at making a technological advancement up and over from bacon bits. The world may never know.
I can see there’s a heading, or direction. But where are they going? Do they even bother to look? This my good people, be some rhetorical questions.
Biggles
Dawn of another 100 degree day – Yay?
No yay. Anti-yay. Last year it never got over 80 here in Richmond. My outdoor kitchen area topped out at 102 around 4pm. At 5:25? The kitchen was 94, what’s up with that? Yeah, okay I’m a weenie. But I don’t need yet another reason to sit like a lump on the sofa, watching M*A*S*H and pissing vinegar about everything and everyone around me.
Pure & simple, this heat is just plain ol’ communism.
Biggles
EBMUD says Mandatory Water Conservation! Meathenge Labs says …
The catalyst for this post is because our water bill showed up here 10 minutes ago. 5 minutes ago I took this picture of our dry birdy bath and toppled windmill surrounded by long since dried flax. Fueled I was, by the bill.
Eight and a half years ago we moved in to this house, buying was cheaper than renting then. No really, we spent less down on buying a home in the San Francisco East Bay Area than renting a home, crazy eh? We drug along with us our standard appliances and used the existing bathroom fixtures. It was so close that if we’d had to buy a new gas range it’d caused us to use a camp stove instead. Man, we rolled in with fumes in the tank.
Thankfully with some effort the finances stabilized (psychosis still reign supreme) and those water hogging appliances were replaced. On my 40th birthday I bought myself a low-flow toilet, 1.6 gallons a flush. I sorely miss my 1946 model that shot through 7 gallons a flush, it was great. But when you have a family of 4? Do the math, we were using about 460 gallons a day. This usage dropped down a bit and even further with the addition of one of those fancy high efficiency washer machine rigs. Surely the cost of the water versus the cost of the machinery didn’t add up immediately, but I knew it was good to help the greater good and lower our usage. Nothing like a little altruism to boost one’s ego, hey.
Again we turn another page and we’re now a family of 3, water usage is at an all time low at 120 gallons per day. I’m exceptionally pleased with myself. Between the garden and the home, we’ve reached a pretty darned good consumption rate. Ed Begley Jr. would be so proud. I’ve been quite fond of him ever since he hit Mork & Mindy way back when. Little did I know he’s been a staunch activist for saving resources ever since time began. Apparently, he was arriving on set via bicycle, cool eh? I’ve said for years, when I make my movie, I’ll ask Ed Begley Jr. to play me, it’d be perfect!
Well, as I said the water bill rolled in and we’ve reduced our consumption to 85 gallons a day. For a family of 3, on a 5,000 square foot lot, I think that’s pretty fricken GREAT and am very proud of our work to conserve water.
Biggles – Head Lab Rat
Happy Birthday Meathenge !!!
Well, okay it was actually the 29th, Thursday. And since then, this is the first time I’ve had a usable moment to sit down, and pat myself on the back.
When I started Meathenge, I promised myself Meathenge would be me. No pretending to be someone or something I wasn’t. I knew if I spent my efforts on something that wasn’t in my veins, it’d be my undoing. While I admit to a few “shit posts” (diatribe, moving towards pointless), I think I’ve done exceptionally well over the years and am quite pleased with myself.
When Amanda was interviewing me for the article in the Chronicle she asked me what I wanted out of all this. “I want to meet people, make some friends and enjoy myself.” And in this, I have gone way past my expectations.
Take a moment, stand back and think how many food blogs can say they’ve been up and running for 5 years? Then compare that with how many food blogs exist today? I’m special, and handsome. I’m a leo, could you tell.
Meathenge is here to stay another 5 years! Hoist a cool, refreshing beverage in Meathenge’s honor this weekend.
Cheers,
Biggles
cool, wet, april, night
9:30pm, sun is down and the bedroom window is open. I removed the screen so I could get max flow of nose flavors. Fresh, wet, weeds, grass, bark, oil, traffic, calm, goodness with a touch of who knows.
The flavor from my bedroom window caused me to grab the tripod and the camera to this shot. Yes there are a few details, but suffice it to say I used a much moved flashlight to highlight the windmill against the barn. The barn is half-lit from the neighbor’s rear porch light. Other than that, this is out-of-camera action with all the late spring smells that give me the happy shivers.
Grab the one you’re with and make fun, it’s worth the effort.
xo, Biggles
ps – Color temperature rules.
Whoa there, it’s 94 in the shade buddy! What’s for din din?
Yeah, huh. Here in our part of the East Bay, the temperatures rarely go below 40 or above 75, it’s just that way. That isn’t to say we don’t get our heat waves, I remember it hovering over 104 a few times and surely in the 80s. But yesterday, and at least this today, it was 94 in the shade.
My favorite part was when Z came running in saying, “Papa !!! It’s 120 degrees outside!”
“Um, the sun was hitting that thermometer there sonny boy. Put it in the shade, ya foo.”
Well, when the temperatures are high, the house is stuffy what meal really hits the spot? No, not watermelon, salad or tofu. It’s that good ol’ roast turkey dinner. I fired up the gas oven for 3 hours and made us some juicy roast turkey, mashed taters & gravy! The plates were licked clean and that was pretty much that. And today for lunch, turkey sammiches!
xo, Biggles
Pasta Roni, Nature’s Way – Olive Oil & Italian Herb – Um, what?
And I will, repeat. Uh, whatchu talkin’ ’bout Willis?
I spied with my little eye, this box on the shelf at our local mega grocer. It’s a convenience food, all ready to shorten the time in the kitchen and feed the brood on the quick & easy. But, like it’s pasta, olive oil and Italian herb. Couldn’t I just take pasta, oilive oil and Italian herb and make my own? Or even do a switchy poo and pull out some French herb? Maybe I should just switch gears and whip out some Hawaiian herb and make it all go away.
Aloha, Biggles
Cook’s Illustrated Magazine – Those bastards sent me another damned free copy
Author’s note: There is actually a point to this post other than a poorly written rambling rant.
After giving this another thought, nope. This is a poorly written rambling rant without a point.
Quite a few years ago now, maybe 7, I received my first copy of Cook’s Illustrated Magazine. I signed myself up for a few years, was feeling full of myself because we’d bought our first home a year before. Life was going to be grand. Aww, I remember it fondly, one of my first issues and it was spring time, a grilling issue and it was all mine.
Cook for me! A cooking contest, win The River Cottage Meat Book
Jennifer Jeffrey, whom I know very well, recently wrote an article about her love for cooking for others. And, not so whiz-bang excited to do the same for herself. And that’s, okay.
The way I see it, I’m going to give you the supreme pleasure of cooking for me! If you’re interested, come along and show me your best.
Meathenge Labs travels to Monterey
Admittedly, I don’t have any food prose for today. But the photographs came out so nicely, I wanted to share them with anyone that might be interested. And yes, had a wonderful time with friends. We spent our time talking about old times (1985 roomates), relaxing and eating Fatted Calf faire. Luckily enough Jeffrey lives in Calistoga and stopped by Oxbow on his way down.
xo, Biggles
ps – If you click on images you should receive a far larger one in return.
Tut Tut, is it time? Do I plant anything now?
click on image for larger
Hooyah !!! I’m totally thinking ahead or at least on time. The soil is nearly ready and looking forward to a garden this year. In the past, I’m usually having these thoughts about midway through July. A little late, even I know that. But with our mild temperatures around here, rarely goes below 40F or above 75F, it worked out “okay”.
I’ll be heading over to Berkeley Hort here pretty soon, what should I be planting in late February? I gots no fricken idea.
Biggles
Gather ’round, hootenanny time. All you Need is Love!
Grab your otherin’ and let’s sing a song …
Today we’re going to get together for one of my favorites and yours, All you Need is Love. Put The Beatles in your mind, close your eyes, embrace and sing along!
Love, Love, Love.
Love, Love, Love.
Love, Love, Love.
There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done.
Nothing you can sing that can’t be sung.
Nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game.
It’s easy.
Nothing you can make that can’t be made.
No one you can save that can’t be saved.
Nothing you can do but you can learn how to be you in time.
It’s easy.
All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need.
All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need.
Nothing you can know that isn’t known.
Nothing you can see that isn’t shown.
Nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be.
It’s easy.
All you need is love.
All you need is love.
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need.
All you need is love (All together, now!)
All you need is love. (Everybody!)
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need (love is all you need).
Yee-hai!
Oh yeah!
She loves you, yeah yeah yeah.
She loves you, yeah yeah yeah.
Cain’t speak for you, but when I hear the word Love coupled with music, I think of Lennon & McCartney. Cheers to you and yours,
Biggles
ps – Life’s a garden, dig it.